


Fine Line: We'll Be Alright

by cherryxxAlways



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chapter 135 spoilers, F/M, Manga Spoilers, armin-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:09:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27922045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryxxAlways/pseuds/cherryxxAlways
Summary: Eren Jaeger succeeded with the rumbling. There is no trace of civilization outside of Paradis. The Walls are gone and so are the memories of the Eldians.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Mikasa Ackerman & Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Jean Kirstein
Comments: 28
Kudos: 102





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired to write this after reading chapter 135 of SNK. To cope with the heartbreaking theories, I made up my own and decided to make a fic out of it and publish it. 
> 
> I'm also writing it based on Harry Styles' Fine Line album. I declare that Golden is about Armin and Annie!
> 
> I have no proofreaders so don't hesitate to give constructive criticism please!

_Test of my patience_

_There's things that we'll never know_

_You sunshine, you temptress_

_My hand's at risk, I fold_

  
  


...

  
  


Armin woke up with a gasp. 

He was sweaty, scared, and his heart was racing like crazy. 

Armin sat up with his hand on his chest, trying to calm down. He looked at his surroundings and he was in the same bedroom that he grew up in. 

It was the same nightmares. He could barely remember them when he woke up but from what he _could_ remember, it was pure death. People he didn’t recognize were being eaten by large humanoids and said humanoids were crying as they ate men, women, and children. The ocean wasn’t filled with water. Instead, it was blood. A petite white woman with blonde hair and a hooked nose with weird markings around the eyes was bathing in the ocean. She started to drown and tried to reach for Armin, who was nothing but 12 years old in this nightmare. When she screamed, the voice didn’t fit her. It was too loud and blood poured from Armin’s eyes, ears, and nose and he would choke on his own blood.

Armin wiped at his forehead and rubbed at his eyes furiously.

His parents died when he was nothing but a boy. Armin’s only family that he had left was his grandpa, who passed away 8 years ago when Armin was only 16 years old.. Ever since then, he’d been on his own in the same town he’s been in his entire life. Not only was that depressing, Armin could barely remember his grandfather nor his parents. 

Armin took another deep breath in and out then got out of bed. The wooden floor was cold to the touch, giving him chills. 

He changed into his everyday clothes. A nice blue long sleeve with black slacks. From the upstairs window, he could see the rest of the neighborhood. He took a look outside to see Mr. Jean Kirchstein working on his small garden, watering the purple flowers that his wife loved so much. His child ran around playing with a toy boat as Mrs. Kirchstein watched, leaning against the front doorway.

Armin remembered when they first met when the Kirchsteins had moved in the compacted neighborhood. He was coming home from work when he noticed that Jean was struggling to lift a table and drag it into the house. Armin jogged over and lifted up the other end of the table.

...

“I gotcha!” Armin said as he made sure to get a good enough grip on the legs of the table.

“Thank you so much! I was afraid that I’d drop it. Help me take it into my house, yeah?”

The 2 men walked up the stairs leading to his new home, grunting and struggling just a little bit as they tried to not slip. Armin took note that Jean was built like a soldier. 

“Thanks man. My name is Jean Kirchstein.” The man introduced himself as they dropped the kitchen table in the middle of his living area. Jean wiped his hand on his pants and reached out to shake Armin’s hand. Armin gave a firm shake.

“I’m Armin, it’s nice to meet you. I live right next door! You’re just moving in, right?” Armin asked, dumbly.

“Yeah, I came from Trost district. Got hitched, and my wife and I decided that it was time to start fresh elsewhere. She was born here, actually. Mikasa!” Jean called, “Come meet our neighbor, love.”

Jean offered Armin a glass of water, which he gladly took, as they waited for Mikasa to come down. They heard thumping and they looked towards the staircase. 

Down came a tall and lean woman. Short, black hair and a scar on her cheek. She looked absolutely exhausted and haunted when she made eye contact with Armin. It made him uncomfortable to see her uncomfortable. She seemed to have become stone. Mikasa seemed like she wasn’t breathing as she just stood there, knuckles turning white as she gripped the stair’s rails. It was silent until Armin lurched forward, hand out to shake hers.

“Hi! I’m Armin, nice to meet you. Mikasa, right?” 

He felt drawn to her. She seemed so familiar… Jean too! Did they feel the same?

She gripped his hand and her face became a blank slate. “Yes, it’s Mikasa. Very nice to meet you, Armin. Thank you for helping Jean, we really appreciate the help.” Her eyes bore into his and it was a bit unsettling.

“Do I know you?” Armin blurted out. “The both of you just seem very… familiar.”

Mikasa’s face puckered up as if she were about to cry.

“Mikasa?” Jean began to reach for her but she quickly dashed right up the stairs, ignoring him. Armin slowly dropped his hand, not knowing how to react. 

“I’m sorry, Armin. She gets like this sometimes and I just don’t know why. Please excuse us!” Jean chased after his wife, looking worried.

Armin silently walked to the front door and closed it behind him. He had a major headache and felt as if he were about to cry. Armin sat on the steps and just rested his head in his hands, confused and just flat-out scared about the emotions he was currently feeling that he’d never felt before.

He didn’t even hear him coming at first. Armin was too lost in his confusion and the sudden pain in his chest. Armin heard somebody clearing their throat and he quickly looked up.

There stood a man taller than he with green eyes and long, shaggy, brown hair. He was staring at Armin with a blank expression, hovering over him. 

Armin was in his way and it was obvious from the way this stranger was staring at him.

“Sorry.” Armin got up, dusted his pants, and began jogging down the steps back to his home. He couldn’t help but look back. Armin was surprised to see that the stranger watched him, not looking away as Armin made eye contact. 

Armin made it to his front door and stood his ground, not breaking eye contact with the stranger. The stranger eventually just turned away from Armin, gave 2 knocks to Jean and Mikasa’s front door, then entered. He didn’t bother waiting for their response. He was probably a rude and awkward family friend of the Kirchstein’s. 

Armin let out a breath that he didn’t know that he was holding and let himself into his home, trying to ignore what had happened in the last 5 minutes.

…

  
  


It had been 5 years since that day and Armin was now 29 years. 

He stared at himself in the mirror after having brushed his teeth. Sometimes he felt as if he couldn’t recognize the man in the mirror. He saw a stranger with terrible and hazy memories. At least he had a full head of hair.

Armin made his way over to the Kirchstein’s for breakfast. It was a little tradition that had formed over the years. Jean and Mikasa were his best friends and family. He had even been there for the birth of their child. 

“Hello, little one.” Armin greeted.

The child leaped into Armin’s arms, giving him a great big hug. “Goodmorning, uncle!” 

He was very articulate for his age and Mikasa always said that Armin was the reason why her child was a brainiac. 

“Good morning, Armin! You’re up bright ‘n early.” Jean clapped Armin on the back, giving him a smile. 

“Can’t miss my breakfast. I can not cook for the life of me. You know this, Jean.” Armin joked as he followed Jean into the house. Armin placed Jean’s child in his little seat at the kitchen table and made way to help Mikasa serve the family.

“Good morning, it’s good to see you,” Mikasa gave Armin a quick peck on the cheek and the tired smile that she’s sported ever since they had first met. “You’ve been working a lot lately, Armin. We rarely see you like we used to.” Jean hummed in agreement from the table, sipping from his tea.

“I don’t have an excuse, to be honest.” Armin placed a plate of food in front of the child and placed his own plate on the table in his usual seat. Mikasa followed suit, giving Jean his plate and sitting across from Armin with her own plate. “I’m just trying to keep busy.”

“Sounds like you need to find someone to spend the rest of your life with already. Start a family! You’ve lived in that big house alone for so long, Armin, it’s depressing to be honest.” Jean stated, shoving a mouthful of oatmeal into his mouth.

Mikasa smacked Jean on the arm, hard enough that you could hear it. 

“Jean!” She scolded.

“What?!” He asked, confused. Jean had dropped his spoon into his bowl to rub at his arm, eyes tearing up at the pain.

Armin sighed and looked out the window, placing his chin in the palm of his hand. 

“He may be right…” Armin hummed. “Or I can get a dog... Who knows?”

Mikasa glared at Jean. Jean didn’t understand why she got so upset at him. It wasn’t like the pair wouldn’t talk about it at bedtime. They knew that before they moved to Shiganshina from Trost, Armin had been alone for years in his home and nothing had changed. He worked, went to bed, babysat baby Kirchstein, and repeated that schedule daily.

...

_"Just leave it, Jean. You embarrass him too much. Armin may enjoy solitude for all we know…” Mikasa’s voice trailed off as she looked out the window at the night sky with a sigh._

Jean bounced their child on his hip as he made his way to Mikasa. Again, she had that haunted look in her eyes. The look that Jean would spend months, begging for Mikasa to confide in him and tell him _why_ she had that look. She always refused. 

_You don’t expect me to believe that. You don’t even believe it yourself, Mikasa. It is only 9pm and Armin is already asleep. He has never been on one date these past 2 years that we've been friends. He follows that same schedule every single day. I’m worried about him. I don’t understand why you don’t want me to introduce him to my sister. He would do good to have someone by his side.” Jean huffed._

_Mikasa side-eyed him. “Your sister would make Armin go bankrupt. She’s a little too crazy for someone as calm as he is.” Jean had shrugged in agreement and sighed, making his way to put their son to sleep._

…

“Armin does what Armin wants.” Mikasa firmly said. 

There was an awkward silence for a while until Mikasa finally spoke up. She did look hesitant about it, though. 

“Why not travel for a bit, Armin?” She suggested. Jean looked surprised at her idea.

“Hmm?” Armin hummed, as he had been chewing on a piece of bread.

“You’ve been working for so long that you deserve a vacation. You should go… maybe look at the ocean for once?” Mikasa looked nervous. “You’ve spoken about it before. Take a swim or maybe leave the country and visit our sister colonies.” 

Jean actually looked intrigued. “That sounds pretty good, actually! Hey, Mikasa. Maybe we should- Oof!” Mikasa stepped on his foot, hard, to get him to shut up. 

“What do you say?” Mikasa asked once more. 

Armin mulled over the idea. 

“I don’t know. What would I even do when I went to the beach? There’s nothing but sand and it gets everywhere.” He tapped his spoon against his lips, in thought. He almost missed the way that Mikasa’s shoulders dropped when he said that. She looked tired.

“You should consider it. If not for yourself, for us. You know that we worry about you, Armin. We just want you to relax and be happy. Please, consider it. For us. For me.” 

Mikasa’s eyes bored into Armin’s. Stories that she refused to tell seemed eager to jump out. The trauma she’s faced throughout the years was evident in her steely grey eyes. Armin could never refuse Mikasa. She was his best friend and Armin wanted to see her happy more than anything.

"Alright. I’ll consider it.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone moves on slowly but surely. Armin and Annie build a home but the happiness doesn't last for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this out when S4 Ep2 aired but I was late. Here it is now!! 
> 
> Thank you all so much for the kudos and the amazing feedback! Please enjoy this new chapter <3

_ Don't blame me for fallin' _

_ I was just a little boy _

_ Don't blame the drunk caller _

_ Wasn't ready for it all _

_ You can't blame me, darling _

_ Not even a little bit _

_ I was away _

_ And I'm just an arrogant son of a bitch _

_ Who can't admit when he's sorry _

…

Armin stared at the ceiling, laying in his old and dusty cot. 

Not only was he in a cell, so was the rest of the Alliance. Eren had won.

He felt tears spring to his eyes. Armin laid his arm over his eyes, letting himself weep for the hundredth time. It had been about a month since the final battle and the Alliance was captured. He could only imagine the death and destruction that lay outside of Paradis. 

Armin had failed.

He failed in becoming a worthy commander of the Survey Corps. He failed at saving the people he never got to know outside of Paradis. He failed at stopping his former best friend from destroying the world because he thought that what he was doing was right. His best friend that had destroyed the world and was still selfish enough to not let Armin just die. 

Armin’s survivor’s guilt was at an all-time high. He was only alive because Eren still loved him and the rest of their friends. Eren couldn’t bear their deaths, despite having said that they were “Free” to stop him from continuing in with the rumbling. If they were free, why did Eren capture them and let them live? It wasn’t fair. While the Alliance received 3 meals a day and a bed to sleep in, the victims outside of the walls were struggling.

Armin sat up after a while. He looked outside his cell to the cell across from his. Mikasa was sitting up in her cot, against the wall and staring at nothing in particular. Armin could only guess that she felt the same as he did. Guilty. Heartbroken. 

They felt like _ failures _ …

Captain Levi had been on the brink of death after the battle. If the Alliance hadn’t been stopped and captured, the Captain would have died on the back of Falco’s titan. Because of Eren, he had Levi’s wounds attended to by Jeagerists. Despite their efforts, the doctor’s couldn’t save Levi’s leg. He was now a cripple. Levi too, sat in his cot. Depressed and missing body parts. 

Armin knew that they were alive but he hadn’t seen Jean, Connie, Reiner, Pieck, Gabbie, nor Falco ever since the final battle. They were being held elsewhere. He hadn’t seen Annie either, but he could hear her. Her cell was next to his, across from Captain Levi’s. 

What Armin would give to be able to hold her now that they were both alive and safe… 

He rolled her ring in between his fingers. She had given it to him prior to their final battle. When they were in the boat, prior to what they thought was their final goodbye.

…

_ “Take this.”  _

_ Annie grabbed Armin’s hand. She had slipped her silver ring right off her finger and placed it in the palm of Armin’s hand. Annie rolled his fingers over the ring and held his hand with both of hers.  _

_ “Annie…” Armin started, _

_ “No. Just take it, please. You’re going to need it more than I will at this point. You will be facing Eren and I just want that piece of mind… I want to know you have a way to transform and save yourself.” _ __ _ Annie had blushed when she said that and so had Armin. She was still holding his hand. _

_ “When I see you again, I will return this ring to you, Annie. I swear it on my life.” Armin had told her, determination in his voice. _

_ She gave a faint smile. _

_ “I’ll hold you to that.” _

…

He couldn’t even reach her from the cramped cell. He could only imagine what she looked like. The last time he had fully laid eyes on her was on the boat. Armin knew that she came back to support the Alliance, flying on Falco with Gabbie in tow. She had saved his friends and Armin would forever be grateful. 

When he had been captured, Armin thankfully had Annie’s ring on.

_ “Someone who can’t throw anything away, will never be able to change anything.” _

The words of wisdom rang through Armin’s head and they were gospel. Armin immediately transformed with no hesitation, using the ring and blew it all away. The explosives that Pieck had thrown over Eren’s neck blew Eren’s head clean off and the bones of the Founding Titan had broken and flew everywhere. Ymir Frtiz’s titans either died on impact or fell off of Eren. Armin felt himself falling as the Colossal Titan as he had nothing to hold onto. He panicked for a short while but eventually just gave into his impending death. He thought he killed his family in the blast so what would the point in him trying at this point be? Armin would continue fighting a lost battle.

Then…

“Armin!” 

He opened his eyes, feeling absolutely exhausted. Mikasa’s eyes bore into his, filled with worry. Her hair was flying like crazy and she was covered in blood that had begun to dry off. She had cut him out of his titan and saved him. Armin began to look around and saw his friends. Captain Levi was knocked out, but safe and alive for now. Looking at his surroundings, Armin saw that they were all up in the sky.

“Where- Where are we? In Heaven?” Armin asked. His ears were ringing and he noticed that the back of his neck was bleeding. Mikasa had cut him by accident when she saved him. What Armin later began to worry about was the fact that he wasn’t healing anymore. He didn’t even notice in the moment.

“No.” Annie appeared in his line of vision, pushing his hair back from his face. Her hand was cool and she looked almost serene. “You got him, Armin. But the rumbling still hasn’t stopped. His body wasn’t here, of course. We’re screwed.”

Armin just stared into her eyes for a bit. “At least you’re here. You came back.” 

They held hands.

Not long after that, the Warhammers of the past brought them down and successfully captured them. 

They never stood much of a chance, did they?

Armin slipped Annie’s ring back on. He held out his hand and admired it, dreaming of a future in which he could marry Annie. A future that he knew could never come true. Armin took notice of a door being forced open. Nobody in the room bothered getting up to check and see who it was. What was the point? Armin and Annie couldn’t even transform anymore. Eren had made sure that he took away every shifter’s, other than his own, powers. What was the point in physical combat? There was nothing left to fight for. 

“Let’s go.” Armin looked up to see a Jeagerist soldier unlocking his cell and another unlocking Mikasa’s. “Don’t think about fighting back. We have soldiers everywhere that won’t hesitate to shoot you all down.”

Armin and Mikasa followed the soldiers who had kept their promise true. They were placed in a carriage and were being taken to Historia’s castle. There were Jeagerists everywhere on the outside of the carriage with new guns and other weapons that they had ransacked from Marley. Armin and Mikasa held hands the entire way there. They were both kicked out of the carriage, literally, while soldiers laughed at them. 

They were called “fools” for trying to have fought back. They were called “pathetic”. Armin had to agree at this point. 

Armin and Mikasa were thrown into the throne room and there was Historia and Eren. Historia was seated in her throne with Eren at her side. Armin was so disappointed in his former best friend. He could barely stand to look at him. It was silent in the room. Nobody spoke until Historia decided to.

“Don’t just stand there you guys! Take a seat. You look exhausted.” She made way to usher them to seats but was stopped by a soldier.

“Your Highness, it’s too dangerous. We can’t let you near them. They  _ are  _ soldiers, afterall.” The soldier had said. Historia glared at him and shoved him off.

“Know your place,” She said. “I was one as well, once upon a time. They won’t hurt me, fool. They’re my friends.” 

“Don’t worry, Historia. Here, we’ll sit. You can stay up there.” Armin led Mikasa by the arm to the two seats that were conveniently placed in the front of the stairs leading to Historia’s throne. Historia looked exhausted, spent, and was not obviously not pregnant anymore. Armin couldn’t find it in himself to care enough to ask her about it. 

Eren stepped forward, watching his two friends. Mikasa couldn’t bear to look at Eren. It hurt too much. He wasn’t the same Eren that they loved.

“Armin, Mikasa…” He started. “I don’t expect you to understand but hopefully one day you can see why I had to do what I did.”

Mikasa just stared at the floor and Armin sighed, leaning his head back to look towards the ceiling. What more could Eren say? What’s done is done.

…

Eren had released everyone from their cells. Everyone was shocked to see that the Walls had fallen. The people of Paradis were rebuilding homes, building new homes and businesses, and even venturing out of where Wall Maria had once stood to build new homes and retake old land from what was once titan territory. 

Titans were no more and neither was Ymir’s 13 year curse. Armin looked at Annie, hope running through his veins once more. She looked different and Armin couldn’t decipher if it was good or bad. Eren had spoken to everyone separately, other than Armin and Mikasa. Annie has been acting differently ever since her talk with Eren.    
  


Connie decided to leave the group for now. 

_ “Eren said that the titans were gone and that my mother should be back. I don’t know if he’s pulling on my leg or not, but I have to go. We’ve been locked up for so long, I don’t even know where to get started!” _

He didn’t hesitate to steal from street vendors. Connie packed as much as he could. Jean made the decision to leave as well.

_ “My parents are probably worried sick. I should go too. Don’t hesitate to come over. I’ll take you all in.” _ Jean said.

Connie and Jean left together.

Reiner held Gabbie and Falco, who were crying. They were mourning Pieck. She didn’t survive Armin’s blast at the final battle. They had both been captured but Armin was lucky enough to have made it out alive. 

It was obvious that Reiner would be caring for them from now on. Reiner and Annie had been exchanging looks ever since they both met with Eren and it didn’t sit right with Armin at all. After everything that they’ve been through, Reiner and Annie still seemed to be keeping secrets. He would be sure to ask Annie about it.

Other than that issue, they still had to figure out where they would go now. The barracks were out of the question. They were home to the Jaegerists now. Armin gripped the handles to Captain Levi’s wheelchair. Captain Levi was the only one who hadn’t met with Eren and Historia. It’s not as if Eren forced him too either. Levi has had to go through hell for so long and now once again, he was homeless and had nowhere to go. 

Mikasa stood near Armin, looking towards the direction of the castle and there was no doubt in Armin’s mind that she was thinking of Eren. Armin was doing his best to  _ not  _ think of Eren. Armin let go of the handles to place a hand on Mikasa’s shoulder. 

“Let’s go. We can all find a shelter. Not everybody knows our faces so we should be welcome there until we can figure out where we can go from there.” Armin suggested. 

…

They found a shelter eventually. Everyone took turns taking care of Levi, who seemed to be a deadman at this point. He barely spoke anymore. Levi tried to join his squad in rebuilding homes but they forced him to stay put. 

It honestly surprised Armin and broke his heart a little, hearing people speaking about the outside world. They had no sympathy for the lives lost. They were glad that Eren destroyed their enemies. Armin thought of the people that were now lost. He took a peek at Mikasa. She never got to learn more about her heritage. Armin thought of Onyankapon who had lost his home, and his life. So much history that was now lost due to Eren’s revenge.

Armin had asked Annie what went on during her meeting with Eren and Historia the night they first found a shelter.

_ “The meeting? You won’t believe it but my father is alive. Eren has him in prison but he is alive! I don’t know what will happen now, but I’m just waiting until further notice. He will be released eventually, apparently. It’s the same with Reiner. They have his mother as well.”  _

Armin thought the worst but didn’t voice his thoughts. Annie had looked so happy when she told Armin, how could he go off and accuse her and Reiner of the worst? It didn’t stop Armin from wondering what plans Eren had for the Warrior’s family. He and his friends were saved because Eren loved them, but the family of the Warriors? Armin just couldn’t understand it.

Time went on and the expansion of Paradis continued. They could do nothing else but just live day by day and make the most of it. New buildings and new plants replaced where the walls once stood. You couldn’t even tell that they once stood tall, keeping everybody caged in. The wall near the ocean in which Eldians had been executed once upon a time, was demolished by Eren and there were no traces of it left. 

It had been about a year since the Rumbling. Life seemed great at first but there was a sense of impending doom looming over Armin’s head. He knew that Mikasa felt the same way. They hadn’t seen Eren in a year or even heard from him, other than him using his titan powers for the expansion. 

So many nights Armin would wake up and hear Mikasa weeping. Armin would look to his right and Mikasa was missing from her sleeping spot next to him. She would sit outside the shelter, under the window. Armin would just lay there and listen, knowing that it was best to leave her alone. If she wanted to speak about it, she would come to him. 

Armin had tried. He definitely tried to speak with Mikasa about it but she couldn’t bring herself to talk about Eren. It hit her the hardest, of course.

The shelter was cramped and everybody fit in as though they were sardines in a can. 

Armin moved from laying on his back to laying on his side to face Annie. Annie slept right by his side. Her face was set in a permanent state of worry. Armin brushed the hair away from her face, cupped her cheek, and just watched her sleep. 

He felt guilty at times for even indulging in a relationship with Annie. Her hometown was gone forever and both of their comrades from the 104th were all dead and gone, only to be remembered by the veterans that now hide their identities in a shelter due to their lack of housing and money. They were both lucky to be alive. 

Armin couldn’t help but wonder what his former comrades would say at the fact that he was sleeping with their killer. He shook it off and ignored the thought. Armin, like Annie, was forced to do unspeakable things. Things that kept them up at night. They would wake each other up from nightmares and would hold each other until dawn would break. 

The pair even started building their own home.

It would be a two-story home with 3 bedrooms. Neither one of them suggested it, but the rooms would house their maybe future children. Wanting to put a roof over Annie’s head and just live as happy as he could with her, fueled that ambition. They worked day after day together. It definitely was not easy but it was worth it at the end to see the fruit of their labor standing tall. Armin and Annie lived peacefully in their home along with Levi and Mikasa. It was a bit awkward at first but it eventually became routine to see Levi cleaning every nook and cranny. Armin would like to say that everyone was starting to make amends with what had happened and were beginning to move on.

Then it happened…

Armin was having tea with Levi at the kitchen table when there were a couple of knocks at the door. Armin answered it and gasped, seeing Eren standing there. 

“Eren…” Armin heard Levi whisper. 

“Can I come in?” Eren asked cautiously. He looked just the same as when Armin last saw him. He still had his messy long hair and looked absolutely exhausted and haunted. 

Armin didn’t answer him but opened the door wider, beckoning for Eren to come inside.

“Is Mikasa here?” 

Armin shook his head. “She and Annie went out. Eren, what exactly are you doing here?” Dread and worry began to cloud Armin’s thoughts. He knew something bad would happen eventually. Everything seemed too good to be true for a while. 

Eren took a deep breath and let it out as he sat across from Levi, who just stared Eren down. 

“You’re going to want to take a seat. You’re not going to like what I’m about to say.” 

Armin slowly sat down and his heart was pounding like crazy. This scene was similar to the day that Eren had accused Armin of being a slave to Bertholdt’s feelings and Mikasa of being a slave, dedicated to her host due to her “Ackerman Instincts”.

“Your home is really nice. You and Annie did a really good job with it. There’s a lot of space inside and out. How are you and Annie? You’re happy, right?” Eren tried to be nonchalant but Armin saw through it. His face burned red.

“Eren. What is it that you want? We haven’t heard from you in so long. Don’t tell me that you’re here for small talk. Get on with it already.” Armin was pissed. 

Eren had the audacity to look ashamed. 

“I don’t even know how to start this…” Eren looked a bit stressed, closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples. “Armin, do you have nightmares?”

Armin froze.

“You can play house with Annie all you want but I know that everyone is still haunted by what happened. I see it in all your faces and I don’t like that. I don’t like seeing you guys hurt. I want to change that.” 

“Eren, what are you saying?” Levi finally spoke up. He put down his teacup and you could see he was getting mad. 

“I’m sorry, Captain. To both you and Mikasa, I’m sorry.”

_ No way… _

Eren turned back to Armin, a cold look washed over his face.

“With the Founding Titan and Historia’s royal blood, I have the power to manipulate the memories of all Eldians. I’ll give you a couple of days but after those days, you will not remember your time as a soldier. You won’t remember me, Mikasa, or Annie. You will lead a normal life without memories of the Walls or of titans. I want you to lead a happy life without the trauma.” 

Levi swung at Eren with no hesitation, knocking him right out of his seat. Levi flipped the table over and began to beat Eren senselessly.

_ I knew it… It was all too good to be true. _

Armin placed his head in his hands and tried to focus out the sounds of Levi beating up his former childhood friend. He didn’t hear Annie and Mikasa come back.

“Eren!” 

Mikasa dropped the bags of groceries at the sight. She didn’t hesitate to rip Levi off of Eren.

“What is going on? Armin, are you alright?” Annie gasped at the sight. She kneeled in front of Armin and lightly pried his hands away from his face. “Armin?”

Armin ignored her and pushed past her and Levi, who angrily made his way out of the house. Armin pushed Mikasa away from helping Eren up and pushed Eren against the wall as hard as he could, pinning him there.

“You can’t do this. I won’t let you.”

Eren stared straight into Armin’s eyes.

“You won’t even remember any of this happening. Nobody can stop me.” 

Armin let himself be pulled off of Eren. Mikasa and Annie kept asking them both what exactly was going on and neither of the boys answered. Armin couldn’t stand to look at Eren. 

Would he really do this?

The hard battles they all had fought would be forgotten. Their old friends wouldn’t be remembered and their deaths would be for naught. Sasha, Ymir, Bertholdt… Nobody would remember anything. Nobody except Mikasa and Levi, just for the sole fact that they were Ackerman.

Although Armin could logically understand Eren’s reasons for doing this as well as the Rumbling, he didn’t care for it. It was selfish of him. 

Hearing nothing but his own heartbeat in his ears, Armin left the house as well. 

He went all the way to a nearby forest and screamed for hours until his throat was raw. He cried for hours. Armin mourned his dead friends. He mourned the world outside of Paradis and the people whose screams haunts him every night. He mourned his friendship with Eren. 

No wonder the expansion of Paradis was encouraged. No wonder all remnants of life outside of Paradis were wiped away. Armin had heard of the assassinations of non-Eldians through bar talk and letters from Jean and Connie.. He put the pieces together and realized that this plan had been in the making for the last year and he threw up. 

When the moon had risen, Armin began to make his way back home. 

He entered and saw that the kitchen table was leaning against the wall. Because of how forcefully Levi threw it to the side, one of the legs had broken off when it hit the countertops of the kitchen. Armin noticed Annie crouched in front of the fireplace in the living room. She looked haunted. How could she not?

Armin sat next to her. They held each other and cried for a while. 

They both went to bed and made love, knowing it would be one of the last times they could be this close to each other. 

Armin could already guess that Eren would want everyone to start over without  _ any  _ remnants of their past lives. He guessed that the reason why the Warrior’s families were saved was so that the Warriors could actually live and be happy with their families. Something that Armin nor Mikasa could experience. 

Annie had fallen asleep already. 

Armin put on his pajamas and made his way to Mikasa’s room. She was awake, of course. They both stayed up all night, crying over what would occur in the next couple of days. They were family and Eren would be taking it away. While Armin could live in blissful ignorance, Mikasa and Levi would be cursed with the knowledge of the past. They would be the only ones who would remember everything. 

“We’re all meant to be family.” Armin started, “Even after Eren wipes our memories, we will all find our ways back to each other. We went through too much. Mikasa, promise me that you’ll find me again. Please promise that you’ll find me, that you’ll find Annie, Jean, and Connie. You’re all my family.”

Mikasa hugged Armin tight.

“Of course. Always. I’ll bring us all back together.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how long it took for me to write this pretty boring chapter! I've been working part time and was only able to write in between the lack of business coming through the work building. Please enjoy and don't hesitate to leave feedback. I also don't have a song for this chapter but once I listen to Fine Line for the 100th time and get inspired, I'll come backand update this chapter.
> 
> Thank you all for your kind words!

In preparation for his upcoming vacation, Armin decided to deep clean his home. He wanted to come back to it tidy and clean. Armin doesn’t remember whether or not his parents were neat freaks but it’s a trait that has been ingrained in him for as long as he remembers. 

As Armin mopped his kitchen floor, he noticed his mop got caught in a little crack in his wooden floorboards. Armin sighed as he kneeled down to tug the mop out of the crevice. He noticed a piece of what was once a porcelain teacup, lodged in the hole. 

He was puzzled. Armin tried to remember whether his parents or grandpa drank tea, let alone own tea cups. 

Suddenly, Armin got a major headache. It hurt enough that he had to drop everything and hold his head, hissing in pain. 

This always happened when he tried thinking hard and it sucked. All the visits to the doctor throughout the years never did much for him as they could never find anything wrong with Armin.

Armin ended up just throwing the piece away. It obviously meant nothing. 

Because of all his years working hard without taking any vacations, his boss offered Armin a month of paid vacation. Armin tried to refuse but due to the way his boss was acting, he suspected that Mikasa had something to do with the way his boss would insist relentlessly that Armin  _ needed _ to go on a month-long vacation.

Maybe a vacation is what Armin needed.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Jean and Mikasa were right about him working too hard and holding himself up in his huge house. 

He had considered selling it, too. Sell it to a big family because what use does Armin have for a 3 bedroom house? Mikasa always pleaded for him not to do so because then they wouldn’t be neighbors and the house had too many memories built in.

Armin wouldn’t dare to try and remember any memories about his home. Of course, when he tried to think about growing up with his parents and grandparents, he couldn’t remember anything worthwhile without receiving a major headache. 

It still scared him sometimes being in such a huge home. He felt haunted by it. It was too quiet and too big. 

Armin sighed as he finished up packing his last suitcase. 

Mikasa and Jean helped him draft a small itinerary. They apparently had their honeymoon across the ocean in what is now known as New Eldia, where they convinced Armin to go. Tomorrow at 3 o’clock in the afternoon is when the boat will arrive. The trip from Armin’s town to the coast would take an hour. Thankfully Armin was smart enough to have booked a carriage to pick him up at 12:30 pm. He should arrive at the coast around 1:30 to 2 o’clock with plenty of time to spare.

Mikasa also encouraged Armin to stop by  _ Kuchel’s Tea Shop  _ before he boarded the ship. 

Apparently her relative owned the shop. 

At bedtime, Armin couldn’t but feel some sort of excitement for this trip. At first he was less than pleased but he could now see the appeal of it, although he wished he wasn’t traveling alone. He’d see New Eldia and see how they’ve been fairing across the ocean. The ocean… Armin couldn’t remember the last time he’d been.

As he rode the carriage the next morning, he could smell the saltiness of the ocean and feel the overwhelming and strange feeling of nostalgia as he saw it come into view. At this point in life, Armin has learned to just ignore these strange feelings. 

Armin was dropped off in front of Kuchel’s. It was a tiny little shop in a row of small businesses lined up against a stone path leading to the pier. It looked warm and inviting from the outside. Armin carried his two suitcases with ease into the tea shop, bumping into an older woman and accidentally hitting her with his luggage.

“I am so sorry, ma’am!” Armin dropped his luggage, not knowing how to proceed. 

“Oh, it’s-“ She was cut off by a man around Armin’s age.

“You better watch it, you son of a bitch. That’s my mother!” He snarled, getting up in Armin’s face. Armin out his hands up in defense. 

“Connie!” She gasped.

“Hey, Connie! Don’t go attacking new patrons, you idiot.” 

Armin looked over at the counter to see an older man wearing an eyepatch. A long and deep scar ran down his face. 

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Armin apologized to Connie. “Are you okay, miss?” He asked his mother. 

“Yes, of course! I apologize on my son’s behalf. He can be really thick headed sometimes.” She laughed. “Let’s go, son.” The woman was shorter than Connie yet she still reached up, and dragged him by the ear outside of the tea shop, ignoring his protests. 

Armin just stood there for a second, not knowing how to proceed. 

“Are you going to stand in my doorway all day or are you coming in?” The man called out. 

“Right. Sorry.” 

Armin lugged his suitcases to the counter. 

“Hi. I’ll take a coffee to go, please. I’m Armin, by the way. I’m good friends with Mikasa.” 

Something flashed in the stranger’s eyes and Armin couldn’t make sense of it

“Yes, yes. I know.” He said as he got started on brewing fresh coffee. “I’m Levi. It’s good to see you. Tell me, what brings you here?” 

He spoke with a weird type of vagueness that Mikasa would sometimes speak with. You could see the resemblance if you looked hard enough. 

“I’m finally going on a vacation. It was actually Mikasa’s idea. Without her, I’d still be at work.” Armin sat down, removing his hat and fixing up his hair.

“Is that right? I’m assuming you’re going to... New Eldia rather than living on the beach, right?” He said “New Eldia” with disgust but Armin didn’t comment on it. 

“Yes! Have you been there?” 

“No. And I don’t ever plan on it.” Levi bluntly said. He slid Armin his coffee. “I think that you may enjoy it. There’s a whole lot of different people on the other side.” 

“I bet. I didn’t want to go at first. I can see the appeal now. Your shop is in the best location. You see the ocean all day. It’s beautiful.” Armin sighed as he stared out the window. “It almost feels as though I’m looking at it for the first time.”

When Armin noticed that Levi got silent, he looked over at him. Levi was staring at him with both fondness and melancholy.

“Enjoy it. You deserve to be happy.” Levi said. 

“Um, thanks? You too, sir.” Armin felt his face burn with embarrassment. 

“Well, you should head out for your boat. It shouldn’t be much longer I believe.” There was a ghost of a smile on Levi’s face. 

“Right! It was nice to meet you, Levi. I hope to see you when I return.” Armin held out his hand for Levi to shake. Levi grimaced.

“Sorry. If I had my fingers, I would.”

Armin then noticed that Levi was missing his index and middle fingers on his right hand. 

Jesus Christ.

Once again, Armin has embarrassed himself in front of this man.

After apologizing profusely to Levi and promising that he’d bring him a souvenir, Armin made his way to the port. The ocean made the air sticky. It didn’t help that it was extremely warm outside. Armin fanned himself with his hat as he waited to board the ship. His ticket to board the ship felt like a stone in his pocket. 

Why was he so anxious for a simple vacation? 

Boarding the ship was a new experience for Armin but it wasn’t terrible. Everyone in the small town was already used to seeing the boats coming and going so nobody really paid much attention to the ship’s departure. Armin was surprised to see Levi leaning outside his little shop, watching the boat leave whilst ignoring patrons walking inside his little store. 

  
  


…

  
  


It took about 2 days to arrive in New Eldia. Having left pretty late, they arrived late to the town. It was past 5 o’clock. 

Armin stared in awe as the boat was parked. New Eldia was gorgeous. There were lights everywhere and decorations were colorful, celebrating an upcoming festival that Armin had heard about from his peers on the ship. It made sense to see such activity in the afternoon during the summer time. 

He was careful getting off the boat and even more careful as he avoided couples dancing to music being played on the boardwalk. Armin readjusted his hat after nearly being run into by 2 teenagers, the boy calling after the girl, “Gabi!”, in an attempt to get her to stop running. She laughed at him the entire time she ran.

Armin couldn’t help it. He was a bit overwhelmed by all of the activity. There was nothing ever like this back at his home town. Over there, there seemed to be something depressing lingering in the air that Armin could never describe and would never try to describe to his friends. It was different and  _ fresh _ in New Eldia, off the bat. Children were being children and people laughed with each other, downing a glass of wine for the sole fact that they could. Armin felt as though he was losing it for having overanalyzed such innocent interactions. He was also jealous. Jealous that these people were making memories. 

He was jealous that they had memories…

Armin flagged down a carriage, clutching his head as he asked to be taken to the nearest inn. Again with the headaches that would never go away. 

He almost fell asleep on the ride and was jolted wide awake when the driver smacked the wall to the carriage, notifying Armin that they had arrived at an inn. Groggy, Armin exited the carriage and took a good look at the inn. It was new and it was beautiful. Gorgeous green vines ran up and down the walls and potted plants sat outside the windows of each and every room. 

Armin was greeted by a young woman who seemed like she couldn’t care less about her job. She was bored and just stared out the window as she waited for Armin to pay for his long-term stay. 

His kindness towards her paid off because he was placed on the 4th floor, the highest floor of the inn and he had a great view of where the summer festival had been set up. Armin decided to call it a night as it was too late to go explore the town. He was also exhausted from being stuck on the boat for so long. 

After a nice, relaxing bath, Armin went to bed and dreamt of bright colors that left him feeling warm when he woke up the next morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Eren erased the memories of Eldians. Of course, only Ackerman can't have their memories tampered with so Mikasa remembers all.


End file.
